Saturday, 16 August 2014

Freedom to live with Cleanliness and Health – A public health awareness rally focusing on Ebola outbreak.

AIDI organized a rally to raise public awareness regarding health on 15th August 2014. As we celebrate the 68th year of our nation’s independence, there is a realization that we are still not free of epidemics and disease.

The latest alarm caused by the Ebola virus has already led several nations to issue alerts and the virus has been the cause of death in 1013 cases. The rally organized by AIDI is motivated by the need to advocate and raise awareness among people regarding better health habits, precautions and the importance of cleanliness. The program was held in Sector 10, NOIDA, where the prevailing unhygienic conditions make the community extremely vulnerable to the spread of diseases.

Dr. Meghaa Bhargava, MBBS at Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi points the need for such initiatives, “An important step toward a clean and healthy India is to educate each individual about the importance of personal hygiene, and the best time to implant the idea is childhood. Simple precautions can prevent diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia, skin infections and even the Ebola Virus Disease which has recently caused an international public health emergency”.

Mr. Shibu Cheruvelil, Founder and Executive Director of AIDI, believes that this is the first step to a better and healthier society; “In light of the current health situation and prevalent poverty, it is essential for the civic society to join hands with the various government agencies. Active public participation coupled with sound policies is the only way we can fight for the right to good health and a life of dignity”.

Mr. Baby M.A, a Trustee of AIDI, said, “Educating the children about healthy habits and importance of hygiene is the best way to bring about change. The children are highly motivated and as they are the future, we must provide them with the tools to ensure a bright future for generations to come.

200 children participated in the rally, which took place at Sector 10, NOIDA between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on 15th August 2014.

No comments:

Post a Comment

AIDI

Agency for Integrated Development Initiatives (AIDI) is a non-government, non-profit organization working on various developmental issues affecting the urban and rural poor in India, with a special focus on innovative approach to empowering lives…

Welcome Message

AIDI is an initiative dedicated to the upliftment of those who do not have the means to help themselves.

We believe that the leading cause of unemployment, starvation and poverty is illiteracy, therefore, we have dedicated ourselves to equipping the disadvantaged with the skills to lift themselves out of poverty. At present, at least 38% of our population is illiterate. Also, in legal terms literacy is defined as the bare minimum ability to read and write. We provide educational support to children, as well as vocational training and counselling. We propagate the importance of education by hosting programs in villages and urban slums.

Besides education, we focus on the empowerment of women. In India, statistics tell us, that close to 90 women fall victim to sexual violence and harassment everyday. NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) shows the reporting of crimes against women (or crimes against women themselves) has been on the rise since 2012.

Moreover women are, more often than not, the ones denied basic rights and freedom of choice. India as a nation does not lack in potential, but in delivery, be it the low levels of the female literacy or the high levels of female infanticide. We believe that women should not be made to fight the good fight alone, we hope to mobilize society as a whole against the oppression and towards the upliftment of women.

Another area of social development that we focus on is public health. In many ways the public health indicators in India leave a lot to be desired, not just in terms of child mortality or the high incidence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, but also in terms of access to Public Healthcare. Chances are that a life-threatening disease would go undiagnosed until it is too late to do anything about it. Chances also are that intimidation by high medical costs would dissuade the common man from seeking medical help. We combat this by providing quality medicare free of cost through medical camps and special programs.

Our initiative gained traction when we shared our activities with our friends and well-wishers and were bestowed with their unconditional support.

Thus,AIDI came to be.

Kindly visit our website for more details- www.aidi.org.in and watch updates regularly. Also connect to our social media pages.